Instruments of Communion

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby was enthroned on 21 March 2013. He is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishops of Canterbury are seen by the Anglican Communion of churches as their spiritual leader. He is the Primate of All England and Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury.

The Lambeth Conference takes place approximately every ten years. Bishops from around the Anglican Communion are invited to attend by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The next Lambeth Conference is in Canterbury in July and August 2020. Its theme is “God’s Church for God’s World: walking, listening and witnessing together”. See here for more details.

The Primates of the Anglican Communion are the chief Archbishops, Presiding Bishops, Moderators and chief pastors of the 39 provinces. Their churches are autonomous. The Archbishop of Canterbury chairs their meetings, which are held at varying intervals around the world. The most recent was in Canterbury in 2017. (Read the communiqué).

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) seeks to serve the needs of member churches. It comprises members of the laity, archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons. Meetings take place approximately every three years. The most recent (ACC-16) was in Zambia in 2016. (See here for documents.) The next is in Hong Kong in 2019. The current chair is the Most Revd Paul Kwong of Hong Kong. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the president the ACC.